NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
McAllen High’s Serena Cervantes was the best finisher among the Valley’s congregation of wrestlers at the UIL state wrestling meet on Saturday in Cypress.
Cervantes finished in fourth place in the Class 6A 128-pound weight class for the second year in a row after qualifying for the semifinals with two pins on Friday.
The four semifinalists entered with a combined record of 156-0, including the two finalists from last year’s 138-pound championship who moved down in weight class. Cervantes’ coach, Hilario Compean, called it a “clash of the titans.”
Cervantes lost by decision to Xochitl Mota-Pettis, who went on to claim silver.
Sharyland Pioneer’s Mia Padilla took fifth place in the Class 5A 138 class after taking down Alyssa Murillo from Willis with a pin just 51 seconds into the final round of the fifth-place match. Padilla started the day in the semifinal match, which she lost to Danielle Walker of Waller High School, who finished second.
Pioneer’s Emanuel Huerta earned sixth place in the 5A 195 class. He fought back from a first-round defeat to win four matches in the consolation bracket. The tournament was similar to Huerta’s regional outing, during which he qualified primarily through consolation wins.
Weslaco High’s Melissa Ibarra earned sixth place in the 6A 110 division. She won a 1-0 decision over the Region I champion, Rhyan Vasquez of El Paso Eastwood, before falling to Annamarie Crixell and Alina Kinsey of Conroe Oak Ridge and Austin Bowie, respectively.
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s Vanessa Doria placed sixth with a similar consolation path. She won a major decision 15-4 against Neftali Villegas Contre of Conroe Oak Ridge and a 6-3 decision over Chalimar Rodriguez from Keller Timber Creek. Doria’s final match was a loss to Mya Engert from Amarillo Tascosa.